Followers

Thursday, January 31, 2008

SLOW COOKING & THANKFUL THURSDAY


Good Mornin' Yall,
I do hope that everyone had a great Wednesday and ready to start another day. It is currently 34 degrees with a windchill of 27 degrees. The winds are out of the East at 9 mph. There appears to be some light rain in the area also. We are under a Winter Storm Warning until Midnight tonight. For some reason, the National Weather Service thinks we are going to have a significant amount of some Snow, Sleet, and Freezing Rain. Our local Weather Guy had a conference call with them yesterday and they felt the need to put us under this Winter Storm Warning. I just looked out my window, and all I can see is just some rain. I started getting a little excited yesterday afternoon when I was reading our local weather guy's blog. Now, by looking at the temperatures and just seeing rain outside, I am so disappointed AGAIN!!!! I just knew it would go all around us. I think I will just go crawl in a hole with Punxatoney Phil on Saturday. LOL.
Today is "THANKFUL THURSDAY". If you would like to participate, please go visit Iris@ http://www.eph2810.com/?p=732#comment-17982. Be sure to sign the Mr. Linky and leave Iris a comment. Today's "THANKFUL THURSDAY" has to do with Compassion.

I most of the time am Compassionate and have a Cheerful Heart. It is so hard at times to have both of these, especially if someone hurts you. I must say that I have a big heart and I tend to get my feelings hurt easily. When I get hurt, the first thing I want to do is to get revenge. Oh yeah, that would be so good, but deep down, I know it's the wrong thing to do. I have to turn it over to GOD and let GOD take care of it for me. I know our youngest daughter has been having some problems at School lately with some of the kids. She is always talking about what she is going to do to get back at them. As much as I would like to tell her, you go girl, I know deep down that it's not right. I always try and tell her to do what GOD would want her to do and just to forgive them. They could be having a bad day or something going on in their lives that is causing them to be that way. I tell her to just walk away or overlook them. It really bothers me when those kids are saying things to her. I have always had this saying in my mind, "You can mess with me, but don't mess with my kids". Have you ever heard of that saying? Sometimes, I just want to go and pop off to those kids myself or their Parents, but I have to stop myself and remind myself that GOD wouldn't want me to do that. I remember that GOD wants us to treat people the way we want to be treated. I am "THANKFUL" that GOD is a forgiving GOD and always forgives us of all of our shortcomings. I try my best to be a GODLY Woman and to set a good example to our girls. I may not attend Church regularly, but I have been saved, and I know that GOD LOVES ME, no matter what. I am not perfect and will never be perfect, but I am "THANKFUL" that GOD see's me thru all the things that me and my Family go thru. GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME, GOD IS GOOD!!!! "THANK YOU" GOD for saving my soul and for your undying Love for me and forgiving me when I fall short of your Glory. AMEN!!!! What do you have to be "THANKFUL" for?

Today is also SLOW COOKING THURSDAY. It is hosted by Sandra@ http://familycorner.blogspot.com/. If you would like to participate, please go and visit Sandra and sign the Mr. Linky and then leave Sandra a comment. Today I am going to share with you my Recipe of Chilli. Everyone has their own way of cooking Chilli and there are so many recipes for Chilli, but I will share my recipe with you today.

KAREN'S CHILLI

2 pounds of Ground Chuck

1/2 Chopped Onion (any color of onion will do)

2 Cans of Chilli Beans

2 packages of Chilli Sauce Mix

Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Parsley Flakes

In a separate pot, boil the Ground Chuck. After it has boiled and done, drain and rinse meat real good. Add your meat, 1/2 chopped onion, 2 cans of Chilli Beans, 2 packages of Chilli Sauce Mix in your Slow Cooker. Stir all of this really good so it is mixed up. Add Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, and Parsley Flakes. Now, I don't measure anything, so I just add till it looks like enough for me. You may need to add a little water if this mixture is too thick. Let cook in Slow Cooker for at least 2 hours until everything is good and hot. Put in bowl and eat with Corn Chips and add some Shredded Cheese if you like Cheese on your Chilli. This is a quick and easy recipe, but you can always add or delete what you want in your Chilli. All Chilli is good to me. The reason I boil my Ground Chuck is because it's a bit more healthy for you. It's good for the Cholesterol levels. Besides, I learned this trick from my Mom. My Parents have to watch their Cholesterol levels, so I do this as well.

I tried to get me some sleep yesterday. I only got a couple of hours of sleep yesterday morning. I had to go to the Dollar General Store and buy some minutes for my Cell Phone. I didn't feel like cooking last night, so me and the girls went up to Backwoods BBQ. This is a little small Restaurant here in town that serves BBQ and other things. I had a Chicken Strip plate and our youngest daughter got her a plain Cheeseburger and our oldest daughter got some Chicken Strips with Tater Tots. I had Onion Rings and Slaw and a piece of Texas Toast with mine. I still had one Chicken Strip left and our oldest daughter had one left, so I got a to go box and brought it home with us. I will have that for my lunch today. I slept good last night. I went to sleep before 10:00p.m. and I woke up this morning around 4:00a.m. on my own. I don't remember waking up any thru the night at all.

My DH called last night and they got into Memphis, TN, about 2:30p.m. yesterday. They had to have their truck serviced before they could take out going up North. I talked to him again last night a little after 9:00p.m. and he was about 80 miles from St. Louis, MO. He knew I was tired and sleepy and he said he would call me back this morning before he goes to bed. Hopefully, they won't run into any Winter Weather and will be home around Noon on Friday. They have an extra stop to make up North this week, so he won't be home as early as he was last Friday. They didn't have to make the extra stop last week and he got home around 6:15a.m. I sure missed him not being able to stop at home yesterday, but I understand that the Weather sometimes don't co-operate with us.

Well, guess I'll go visiting for a while. I am on my second cup of coffee. I do hope you have your coffee ready this morning. I have some coffee waiting for you if you stop by. Take care my friends and have a great day. May God Bless Each and Everyone of You.


LOVE & HUGS,

43 comments:

Denise said...

Hello sweetie, praying for you to have a very nice day. I am thankful for you, you are a really sweet blessing, glad we have become friends.

Nunnie's Attic said...

Good Morning, Karen!
Kids are cruel and I'm glad that I'm not in school these days. They were bad when I was in school but it's a 1000 times worse now. And I think girls are more rotten than boys. Enjoy your day today, Karen! Remember WWJD?

Love,
Julie

Diane@Diane's Place said...

Good morning, Karen. It's not doing squat here right now. It's 32F and it was raining and sleeting earlier, but nothing right now. I don't know what it's going to do. Guess we'll just have to wait and see.

I'm supposed to go to Jonesboro for an eye Dr. appointment at 11 am but if it's doing anything wintry at all my MIL won't drive in it, which is fine with me.

Girl, you just keep on doing what's right and God will bless you for it.

Hope your hubby drives safely and gets home safely.

Also hope it doesn't ice up and our power stays on! ;o)

Have a good day.

Love and hugs,

Diane

Anonymous said...

I love chili in the crockpot! Thanks for sharing!

Stephanie ODea said...

mmmm. chili. and it's raining buckets here---perfect chili weather.
-steph

Hootin Anni said...

G'day Karen! Mmmmmmmmmmm, chili. I love a good bowl of steaming hot chili. Tho when I make it, I cook the dried beans all day in a slow cooker and I always make my chili vegetarian style so I can have leftovers on a hot dog! LOL [also, being that it's vegetarian chili I can top my bowl with grated cheese and sour cream...that is where my fat and protein comes from. ---shame on me, huh?]

I know what you mean about kids in school. I finally resorted to telling our kids that God gives us only what we can handle, and to handle it with sophistication to make him proud. It kept a lot of serious wrongs going awry. You know the old saying "Two wrongs don't make a 'right'"?

It's a misty foggy morning here, and I still need to clean up the carpet and get things out of the freezer to cook so I best get goin'.....

Have a great day.

Anonymous said...

Oh Karen love the sound of your receipe and I am gonna try it. Maybe this weekend since we are gonna get a snowstorm up here starting tonight and into tomorrow.

You just stay being the person you are and you will be rewarded. I love your thoughts and attitude my friend.

Well, I am off to check on a few other blogs and get my day going as I need to get to the store before the weather changes here. take care and stay warm. Hugs to you and yours.

Anonymous said...

Hello blessings from us here. Take care and thanks for sharing your TT!

Mandy said...

Hey Karen!

I have my coffee in hand and am catching up on blogs. Of course, yours is a must read every morning! It is thundering here...light rain. Cold. I don't know if we have any chance for some precipitation but I think we do. I'm not holding my breath, though. Hope you guys don't get too much...just enough to enjoy! I'm sorry your daughter is having such a rough time at school. Kids can be so cruel. But I admire the way you are counseling her. God is good and He will help her get through this part of life. Take care.

Susan said...

Happy TT to you,

Wow, that is some really COLD weather! Thanks for the recipe!

Sorry about your daughter, I'll keep her in prayer.

Blessings...

SweetAnnee said...

Hi Karen dear..
Chili is such a good
meal..easy, yummy, ready to eat when we
are.. I usually do it on Sunday's.
LOL
as a kid Sunday was BIG dinner day..not here
it's rest day..eat at your own desire..

Hope today is good to you
Much love..Deena

Carole Burant said...

Good morning dear Karen:-)

Hot coffee sounds sooo good this morning, it's only 0F here at the moment...brrrrrrr! I really don't mind winter but when it gets frigid like that, I wish I was in a warmer climate! lol At least it's sunny today, not miserable like yesterday with the blowing snow.

Loved reading your Thankful Thursday. My mom always taught us that two wrongs don't make a right so anytime we wanted to get our revenge on someone who had hurt us, we had to just forgive and forget. It saddens me that your daughter is having problems with other kids at school...sometimes kids can say the meanest things.

Your chili sounds so yummy. I made a big pot of chili last week and froze it in small containers so that anytime I feel like having some, I just pull out a container from the freezer and microwave it:-) I so love chili and it's perfect to have on a frigid day like today...hmmmm, guess what I'm having for lunch today! lol

Thank you for the compliments on my computer room, I'm really loving it and all the hard work I put into it has been worth it:-)

Stay warm and have a wonderful day my friend. Prayers that your hubby and his uncle stay safe on the road. xoxo

kelly said...

Sounds about like my Chili except I usually throw in some black beans too.
thanks-have a great rest of the week!

Maggie R said...

Goodmorning Karen....
Another cold windy day here in Canada, predicting up to 35 centimetres of snow overnight!Darn.... Want to send me your rain???
Your blog is always full of good reading. My solution when things are beyond my control..
"Let Go...Let God" HE will take care of us.
Life can be such a challenge for our children. When they hurt, we hurt... Here's hoping things get better for them in that department.
Your chilli sounds good. I made some last week... I love it nice and spicy.
Think I will use my crockpot to-day as well.... Not sure what yet but I better go get busy.
Thanks for your friendship dear heart ..
((((hugs))))
Maggie
PS sending a circle of safety to your DH as he travels the roads...

Michelle said...

I'm ready for a cup of coffee! Thanks for visiting and I hope you and the kids enjoy the peanut butter cookies. Chili.. yummy ~ I've been craving that and meatloaf lately.

Have a wonderful Thursday - tonight is pizza night for me :)

Michelle

BittersweetPunkin said...

Good Morning Karen! I went through something similar when my DD was a lil younger...girls can be mean (and boys too) but for some reason the girls really know how to get at each other. As long as your DD has a good head on her shoulders she'll be fine. The best thing you can do is be there for her and listen....and talk and tell her that this will pass and they'll move on to someone else.
Have a great day!
Hugs,
Robin

Betsy said...

I love chili!

Anonymous said...

Eh up chuck (that's the equivalent of hello friend in Lancashire dialect ;).

It is so hard when our children are hurting or being hurt, I can totally empathise with you. So hugs to you and your daughter and I will pray that whoever it is will stop being mean and that your daughter will feel happy and confident at school.

{{{{Karen}}}}

Love Sarah x

Hope said...

Well, it's afternoon already and you're probably back in bed taking your nap by now! I noticed you were up very early this morning! I'll just help myself to the coffee.

I'm sorry your daughter is having problems. I found a blog yesterday where the girl talks about things like this. I'm going to find that link and email it to you. Bottom line, just be there for her and listen and pray for God's guidance in what you tell her. I was always like an old mama bear when it came to my kids! I had been hurt so much and never wanted them to go through that. You can't always fight their battles, though!

I was really blessed by your testimony. We all fail the Lord many times but He always forgives.

Hang in there.

Love and Hugs,
Hope

Unknown said...

Karen
I will have a cup of your coffee with extra creamer. I want to say thank you so much for your sweet comments and e-mails. You are truly a bright spot to my day. You just never know people on the other end of these comments are facing and lately I've had my share.Your doing the right things with your daughter."Kill them with kindness" The chilli sounds really good.Thanks for sahring the recipe.May God Bless you really good. Love you (((Karen)))fl

Unknown said...

sharing :) have a Blessed day

Sandra said...

Karen,

I'm SO sorry your daughter is having problems with someone at school, I don't think you were reading my blog yet but a month or so ago a girl at Jasmine's school actually threatened to kill her. She was heartbroken and really upset about it and it was rough for us as parents to have to see this going on.

Kids can be so hateful and so mean and, it's really upsetting. We've always taught her to be good and kind and treat everyone with respect so when she faces this cruel treatment from someone she's just shocked and doesn't understand why.

I'll keep you and your daughter in my prayers and hope things get easier for her.

The chili sounds SO good, we love chili here so this one is a must try.

Have a great thursday my sweet friend,
Hugs,
Sandra

Angela said...

Is spring here yet?? :-). I like your Thankful Thursday. I think we all in the moment feel the need to bring on revenge to those who hurt us, but deep in our hearts we know it's wrong to do that:-). I added you to my blog friends:-). I love chili too. Especially when it's cold outside.. Ah!! who am I kidding, I'll eat chili in the heat of the summer too *giggles*.
Have a wonderful day!!!

dabrah said...

Hi Karen
I love chilli. I'm going to try making your recipe the next time I have a full house. I hate to hear about kids being treated badly by other kids, and it really is tough to know what to do. Like you, I believe in treating others the way that I'd want them to treat me, and I always felt that if my kids were doing something mean to another kid, I'd like to know, so that I could talk to them and set them straight. I found out the hard way that not all parents feel this way, so after that, if there were any problems, I would always just tell my kids to let it go. I also pointed out that the problem wasn't with them, but with the kids who were being horrid.
It's getting really cold here now, and we had buckets of rain today, and finally we've been promised snow tomorrow! I wait with bated breath. Thanks for your congratulations, by the way.

Mary Isabella and Kiley too! said...

Yum.Your chili sounds so yummy. I do think you did send me the Valentine e-mail. I reciever it from several people and thought it was so wonderful it need to be shared with everyone. I am sure you agree as so many people are recieving a blessing from it. I am so glad we have met. You are such a kind,caring person. Please have a bleeesed day....Luv ya....Mary

ancient one said...

Hello Karen,

I know that saying... and I know it is hard not to go to school and tell those children off... but you are right about doing unto others...but I found that sometimes the kids they fight with today, become their best friends later... You have a good day!!

Joyce said...

Oh Karen, What a great post. I know how hard it is to be a example to girls. I worked hard with both girls and so hard with my oldest. She had trouble because of her intelegence. The boys made fun of her for many years. Stay with it. It will pay off. God will take care of them. We are expecting a snow storm but they won't say how many inches.

Love and Hugs,
Joyce

Renee said...

This sounds great! Thanks for sharing.

Renee'
http://rmboys2.wordpress.com/

Mary said...

Karen,

I'm sorry your girl is having a hard time at school. Kids can be so mean at times. Brandon does have trouble being teased a lot and Jordan is picked on because he is small. The boys do get their licks in once in a while, especially Jordan, but I tell them that they should just walk away and ignore these kids. Easier said than done. Brandon is sensitive and easily hurt. Jordan is willful and seeks revenge. Bringing up kids isn't easy.

We got a lot of whippings from Dad for seeking revenge and getting into fights. We learned many lessons that way and none of us kids were ever in any serious trouble.

Your chilli sounds good. I sometimes make chilli, but hubby doesn't care for it too much. I love it.

Glad that DH is safe and sound even if he will be a little late getting home tomorrow. It's a good thing he wasn't in our area yesterday. Southern Ontario had hurrican force winds, frigid temperatures and low visibility.

Take care, my friend. I keep you and your family in my prayers.

Blessings,
Mary

Unknown said...

Children can be so cruel. I am glad that you are telling your daughter to turn the other cheek so to speak.

Karen I hope you got some rest today cause once a person gets run down they seem to pick up every sickness running around.

Your chili sound just yummy. I am going to have to start making more meals in my slow cooker. Just takes a bit of planning the night before.

Take care my friend and I will talk to you later.

Melanie said...

Kids can be so cruel, especially girls. I will keep your daughter in my prayers that she will get through this teasing.

That chili sounds delicious. I've never boiled meat before and I'm not sure I would even know how.

Hope your hubby makes it home safe and sound.

http://livinwithme.com

Rachel said...

Ah, chili! I made that a couple of days ago. Good stuff!!

I hope your husband has safe travels and doesn't hit bad weather.

I am thankful for all my many blessings!!

Love Bears All Things said...

Its hard to let go and let God when it comes to our kids.

Your chilli sounds good. Yesterday, I put two large frozen chicken breasts in the crockpot(you can use 4)stirred a cup of rice up with 2 cups water, a can of Cream of Celery and on of Cream of Chicken soup and cooked it on low most of the day. It was so good.
I made Mozzerella and Sun dried tomatoe bread in the bread machine. Umm!
We don't have ice or snow yet. I went out to meet a friend for lunch and came straight back. I've had a wee nap and am having some tea.
Blessings,
Mama Bear

Cecil said...

Karen... Thought I'd stop by and say hello... I went back to work this am for the first time.. I wasn't feeling very good and I actually got to come home about 1 pm. It was sleeting, then snowing and sleeting both so some of our staff left early... I got to leave early too because 2 others were staying. And I was so glad to get to come home early. I hope you are having a good day... I hate that your daughter is having trouble with those kids.. kids can be awful... tell her to hold her head high and do the right thing for her... Girls can be the worst too.... Hope your husband and his uncle are traveling well.. staying safe... Guess I'll go for now.. Hope you got to see the snow... :)
Hugs.... Cecil

Mary said...

Karen,

It didn't say on last night's news if the trucker was hurt. I hope not. I will listen to tonight's news to see if I can find out.

Thanks for visiting my post today.

Blessings,
Mary

Anonymous said...

I hated it when my kids were in school and other kids were being mean...I think they are even meaner now than when I was in school...there were paddles in school back then and teachers weren't afraid to use them...that kept a lot of that meanness at bay...oh and the kids also knew if they got it at school they got it at home too if you know what I mean.

I've never boiled my hamburger, how do you do that?? I make my chili similar but I add a can of tomato diced and a can of tomato sauce and a good squirt of ketchup and a can of rotel if I have it...yep it might just set you afire...LOL!

Wishing your Hubby safe travels. We are expecting 2-4 inches of snow here tonight...sigh...

Have a good evening.

Renie Burghardt said...

Good evening, Karen,

You are a sweet, loving person, and are teaching your girls by your good example.

Your chili recipe sounds yummy. Haven't made chili in months, so it's time to make some again. Thank you for sharing.

And guess what? We got snow! Four inches and we may get a couple of more inches overnight. I'll send some of it your way, 'cause I don't want anymore. But it sure is pretty.

Have a great evening, special lady, and God bless you and yours.

Love and Hugs,

Renie

Denise said...

...you are giving that daughter the most valuable gift that a mother could give....... the understanding of forgiveness.. What she learns from you as a mother now will take her throughout her life with the foundation of Christ.. how precious is that... Good for you my friend and I pray that you get the rest that you need...... I pray for you and your family as your DH is on the road....... and I pray for his safety..........

blessings x0x0x00x

Talk..to..Grams said...

Your Chilli sounds so good!! We will have Chilli for Super Bowl Sunday!! We always do....
Just a few miles from us it snowed so much they had to close the Hwy for a while!! But we didn't get that much snow at all! Love and Hugs Grams

Shari said...

Hey Karen, kids are always trying to hurt other kids to make themselves look better. My daughter had a rough time with some kids. They are just so mean. I tell her to ignore them, talk to the teacher, or the principal. I know it hurts her when they do that. I even called two parents. I was so angry about it. Can you believe that? Me, who doesn't hear well on the phone? LOL. Things I do for my kids. I believe it teaches compassion, though. When they grow up, they'll look out for the underdog and stick up for them and empathize.

So far the weather here is just under 20 degrees. A 70% chance for snow with 1-3 inches expected overnight. Over the week's forcast it's supposed to be in the 20s and 30s. I think all that snow dancing I'm doing for you is backfiring. It's making it come here. LOL.

Mississippi Songbird said...

Oh, That chili sounds so good..
and thanks for the compassion writing..I needed it today..
God bless you, as you bless others..

Betty said...

Yeah, I finally got a post up for today. I was running really late today as I was gone most of the day. I'll have to do most of my visiting tomorrow.

Karen, I would like for you to read Romans Chap. 12, verses 17-21
This passage is one of my favorites in the Bible.

eph2810 said...

You are right - sometimes we want to have revenge, and it feels like that we are always last if we have compassion. But God knows our hearts and hurts and He will take care of them in His time.

Thank you so much for sharing your grateful heart with us this week.

Be blessed today and always.